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Peer Specialist - ORCA Center

Seattle, WA (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=517+3rd+Ave+Seattle+WA+USA+98104) •ORCA Center

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Job Type

Full-time

Description

Schedule:

+ **Before ORCA Center Opens:** Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm; clinical care on DESC’s Opioid Treatment Network (OTN) team.

+ **After ORCA Center Opens (anticipated in summer-fall 2025):** Planned schedule is three (3) 12-hour shifts with at least two 30-minute lunch break, 7:00 am – 7:30 pm, per week, with some weekends required; and one additional 12-hour shift every 4 weeks.

**Supervised by:** ORCA Day RN Supervisor

**Insurance Benefits:** Medical, Dental, Life, Long-term Disability

**Other Benefits:** Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

**Union Representation:** This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

About DESC:

DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) is a nonprofit organization working to help people with the complex needs of homelessness, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness achieve their highest potential for health and well-being through comprehensive services, treatment, and housing. Our vision is a community where no person is abandoned, ignored, or experiencing homelessness.

As the region's leading provider of services to multiply disabled adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, DESC serves almost 3,000 people each day. Our integrated service model is designed to help people secure and maintain appropriate, safe and affordable housing. DESC is recognized nationally and regionally as an innovator in developing solutions to homelessness.

Come work for us!

The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) is now recruiting Peer Specialists for one of DESC’s newest clinical programs, the Opioid Recovery and Care Access (ORCA) Center. The ORCA Center is estimated to start clinical services in mid-2025 (though Peer Specialists may begin earlier) and will be open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, including holidays. It will offer four overlapping types of services:

+ Care to individuals in stable condition who have experienced an opioid overdose, brought to the ORCA Center by first responders or transferred from local emergency departments.

+ Rapid initiation of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), including buprenorphine (sublingual and long-acting injectable) and methadone (under the “72-hour rule”, or Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 §1306.07 (b)), for people with OUD, regardless of whether an opioid overdose has recently occurred.

+ Harm reduction counseling and OUD-related physical and behavioral health services, such as hepatitis C testing and treatment and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis.

+ Follow-up care, at the ORCA Center with individuals who have started MOUD to ensure support in MOUD continuation.

DESC, together with planning partners at the UW Addictions, Drug and Alcohol Institute (ADAI), Seattle Fire Department, King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division (BHRD) & Public Health, and Evergreen Treatment Services, have been engaged in planning for the ORCA Center. Funding for the ORCA Center has come from the City of Seattle, King County, the state of Washington, and a generous private donor.

JOB DEFINITION:

The Peer Specialist acts as a member of a multidisciplinary team responsible for supporting individuals who have experienced an opioid overdose and/or those with a diagnosis of Opioid Use Disorder. DESC’s ORCA Center sites provide 24-hour, low-barrier, enhanced supportive services. Here, the Peer will offer in-the-moment, person-centered, trauma-informed engagement with individuals who may otherwise not be present at more traditional clinics. Work is done under the supervision of the ORCA Day Nurse Supervisor, with consultation from DESC’s Peer leadership team.

The Opioid Recovery and Care Access (ORCA) Center Peer Specialist is a member of DESC’s multidisciplinary team providing 24/7 clinical care to individuals impacted by opioid use. Peer Specialists bring lived experience with recovery from substance use and/or addiction and apply formal training to support clients through mind-body recovery and resilience. The ORCA Peer Specialist shares personal, practical experience, knowledge, and insight with participants and team members. They are well established in their recovery and offer unique perspectives that complement clinical practice.

Services will be provided at the ORCA Center. This position involves a high degree of collaboration with other DESC programs, community partners, and healthcare providers. The role reports to the ORCA Day Nurse Supervisor, with peer support guidance available from the SUD Peer Supervisor.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

+ Provide engagement, and recovery support to people experiencing opioid or stimulant use disorders.

+ Respond to individuals' post-overdose and provide support in navigating care and initiating Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), including buprenorphine and methadone.

+ Assist with follow-up care for individuals recently started on MOUD.

+ Support clients referred from emergency departments, shelters, and first responders.

+ Assist clients in obtaining and coordinating essential services including housing, transportation, financial planning, health care, and employment resources.

+ Advocate for client access to services and work to remove barriers to care.

+ Educate and support clients regarding harm reduction, overdose prevention, and stigma reduction.

+ Provide harm reduction training and support to DESC staff.

+ Integrate lived experience and recovery principles into service delivery.

+ Help client’s express preferences and goals through tools such as Goal Plans, Crisis Plans, Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), and Contingency Management Plans.

+ Participate in psychiatric consultation, program meetings, clinical reviews, and staff training.

+ Document clinical interactions and services provided per DESC policy.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

+ Lived experience as a consumer of behavioral health services (mental health and/or substance use treatment) or be the parent or legal guardian of a child who has received behavioral health services.

+ Ability to obtain Certified Peer Specialist certification from the Washington State Peer Counselor Training Program within 60 days of employment.

+ Ability to meet Washington Department of Health requirements for registration as an Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) or any other superseding credential.

+ Ability to communicate and work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

+ Cultural humility and capacity to engage clients from diverse backgrounds

+ Experience or interest in working with individuals who are difficult to engage in traditional services

+ Knowledge of community resources and strong interpersonal communication skills

+ Experience working with adults who are experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, have a mental health condition and/or co-occurring substance use disorders.

+ Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behavior.

+ Subscribe to the philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for consumers.

+ Have a strong understanding of recovery and resilience, the value of client partnerships and client choice, and the balance between protection from harm and personal dignity

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

+ Has a current Certified Peer Specialist certification from the Washington State Peer Counselor Training Program.

+ Knowledge of de-escalation skills, crisis intervention & stabilization, and harm reduction strategies.

+ Training or experience in de-escalation, crisis intervention, and harm reduction

+ Bi-cultural background/experience

+ Bilingual in Spanish/English or other languages

STRONG APPLICANTS:

Demonstrate the ability to be positive in their empathetic responses to all persons; understand the value of meaningful and deep client engagement; have the potential to acquire the necessary knowledge, attitudes, and skills of an effective crisis worker; and value a non-judgmental response to sensitive issues. Candidates should be able to accept feedback and work in a highly collaborative and potentially stressful environment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to sit for extended periods, communicate verbally, lift up to 40 pounds, and use computer systems. Specific vision abilities include close, distance, color, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Salary Description

$36.75 - $40.58 per hour